Cruisin
by elizabethhhhhhh
Summary: When hotel heiress Annabeth Chase boards Poseidon Cruise Lines for a summer vacation, she meets the owners son, Percy Jackson. Will something spark betwen the two?
1. 1

I stepped onto the _Princess Sally_ for the first time in 9 months. School was finally out and I could get back to my home. Sure, my home is definitely a bit different then your average teenagers. My dad owns _Poseidon Cruise Lines_, so I guess you could say my family's got a _boat _load of money.

I spend the worst part of my year at Yancy Academy, a private boarding school in upstate New York. But every June, I set sail from Manhattan and across the world on my dad's favorite cruise ship, the _Princess Sally. _It's named after my mom, of course. I've got a little brother named Tyson too, but he has down syndrome. Ships aren't exactly the best atmosphere for him(we learned that the hard way), so he spends every summer in the country with our mom.

Sometimes I wish I could do that. I haven't been at our family estate since Easter, and even then it was only a four day visit. I'm more of an visitor there then a resident most of the time. Eh, I probably shouldn't complain. Well, now I think you understand my backstory pretty well. Let's get back to the real adventure.

I walked onto the top deck and saw the staff running around trying to get everything in place. This cruise would be taking a three month trip all around the globe, just like every summer. It never got boring, but it never got too exciting either.

"Percy!"

I turned around and saw my cousin standing behind me.

"Jason!"

"You finally made it!"

"Yeah, the car broke down on the way here."

"That sucks man. But c'mon, your dad's waiting for us in Liberty." And so, the two of us made our way down to the Liberty Ballroom.

Jason and I's dads are more then just brothers. They're business partners, and they've been working together for as long as I can remember. His dad, Zeus, runs _Zeus Airlines_. But it's pretty hard to spend the entire summer on a plane, so Jason and his sister Thalia spend their vacation with me on the cruise.

When we walked in, my dad was directing the staff about table settings. Thalia was waiting with our other cousins Nico and Bianca. Their dad owns _Hades Underground_, which owns a majority of the subways and mines in the country. Yeah, I know, our family is kinda big deal.

"Great!" my dad exclaimed once he saw me. "I'm so glad to see you all again! Now that we're all here, we have some business to go over." Everyone groaned. "Relax, it's actually something for you guys. Have you heard of Athena Resorts?"

"Duh," said Thalia.

"Well, I've recently struck up a possible deal between the owner of that franchise. Athena Chase and her family will be joining us this summer, and we need to do everything we can to convince her to sign this deal."

"What do you mean _we_?" I asked.

"Well, when I say Athena Chase is bringing her family, that includes her daughter A-"

"Annabeth Chase," we all finished.

"So you do know of her?"

"Oh we know of her alright," said Nico. She was one of the most popular names out there. A hotel heiress set to inherit a billion dollar company, yet all she does is go out clubbing and get drunk. There's a new scandal with her every week about whichever popstar she's dating or whatever mess she got herself into.

"Great! Well, I'm going to need all of you to do everything you can to show her how great our cruise line is. Hopefully, she can do some of the talking to her mom for us. Understood?"

"Yeah," we all groaned.

"Great. Now get to conference room F, Mr. D is running the welcome back presentations right now."

————————-

When we walked into the conference room, the presentation still hadn't started yet. We spotted our friend group from last summer and went to join them.

"Hermanos!" yelled Leo. He was one of the repair boys on the ship who could make anyone laugh.

"There you guys are!" yelled Silena, one of the waitresses.

"Yeah, it's about to time you showed up," said the Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor. They worked at the customer service desk.

There was also Beckendorf, who worked with Leo on repairs. Him and Silena started dating last summer and they're still going strong. And Grover, who's a tour guide. Katie, who's one of the chefs and is dating Travis Stoll. Clarisse, who's one of the fitness instructors. You do _not _want to get on her bad side. Piper, who's a housekeeper and has a thing with Jason. Frank and Hazel, who work in event management and are a couple. And finally Malcolm, who's in charge of managing everyone's schedules. He's a pretty nice kid, just really shy.

"What's going on guys?" asked Bianca.

"Malcolm's having a crisis," summed up Connor.

"What do you mean?" asked Jason.

"So, uh, you know how my mom died?" Malcolm started.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that man."

"Well basically her sister, who never liked my family is going to be on the ship this summer. And she's bringing her daughter, who's our age. I'm just really nervous because I haven't seen them since I was 4."

"Really? What's the family's name? Maybe we could spice things up for them a bit," smirked Connor.

"Chase. But don't even think about it. They're here because Poseidon is trying to work up a deal with my aunt, Athena. She owns all the Athena Resorts."

"Wait a minute- are you talking about Chase as in _Annabeth _Chase?!" squealed Silena and Piper. "She's going to be _here_?!"

"Percy's dad already told us about her. We have to be nice because if she doesn't have a good experience, her mom will never sign the contract," explained Jason.

"Do you guys know what room she's staying in?" asked Silena.

"Why do you guys care so much about her?" I asked. "She's just a shallow, spoiled, dumb blonde who-"

"Alright everyone! Sit down!" booked the voice of Mr. D.

My friends and I sat down and got ready for the same boring presentation as every year.


	2. 2

An hour later, we were walking out of the conference room and doing our last check of the ship before passengers boarded in 45 minutes. While I technically didn't have to work, sometimes I liked to lifeguard when I was bored.

I watched my dad as he ordered everyone around, trying to make sure everything was perfect. I'd never seen him behave like this, which meant that this deal had to be important.

"I think I'm gonna ask her to the solstice," Jason whispers in my ear.

"Huh?"

"Piper. I'm gonna ask her to the solstice." The solstice is short for the Solstice Dance. It's a huge event held on the ship every year on June 21st, the summer solstice. I went for a few minutes last year, but it got boring real quick. It's more of a "couples thing."

"Oh, uh, nice man. I'm sure she'll say yes."

"When should I do it?"

"Hmmm, probab-"

"Percy! Jason!" yelled a voice. Thalia was standing at a nearby doorway. "Hurry up, the Chase's are about to board and Uncle Poseidon wants us on deck to greet them!"

"Ugh, why do _I _have to be there? It's Percy's dad!" complained Jason.

"Just hurry up." We turned to a nearby mirror and tried to fix our hair so it didn't look like we just got out of bed. No use. We followed Thalia up the stairs to the boarding deck.

"There you boys are!" yelled my dad. "Percy, you stand on my right and Jason on my left. Make sure you smile, but not creepily. But not lazy either. Got it?"

"Mhm," I groaned as I rolled my eyes. I looked off the deck, but we were to high up to see much of what was happening on the land below. There was a series of clicks and flashes, probably from paparazzi. The only one of us who looked genuinely excited to be there was Bianca.

I heard the footsteps from the boarding stairs grow louder as they got nearer. First appeared two men in suits. Then, a middle-aged couple dressed surprisingly normal for rich people. The woman wore a light yellow sundress and the man wore a matching polo shirt with khakis. Just seconds after they stepped onto the deck, a girl with long blonde straightened hair walked up behind them.

She wore a white tube top, ripped short shorts, and heeled sandals. Her face had at least a pound of makeup and it was clear she had a spray tan. She was to busy staring at her phone to look up at us.

"Athena, Frederick," smiled my dad as he shook both their hands. "It's a pleasure to have you aboard."

"It's so kind of you to invite us Poseidon," spoke Athena.

"Of course. Now, I'm sure you'd like to get to your rooms. I can show you the suite you'll be staying in. And my son, Percy, can escort your daughter to her's as well."

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Sure thing. Where is she staying again?"

"The Sunrise Suite."

"Ok, um, right this way."

She glanced up at me before staring back down at her phone. Jason smirked at me as I walked away, her trailing a few feet behind me. Once it was only the two of us, I decided to try and start up a conversation.

"So, uh, how was your ride here?" It took her a full ten seconds to respond. And when she did, she gave me the brilliant answer of,

"I don't know."

"Oh, uh, that's nice." We walked the rest of the way in silence until we reached the Sunrise Suite. "Here's your room- I mean suite. There's a phone for room service next to the bed and if you need laundry done then-"

She closed the door in my face, still staring at her phone.

"A little 'thank you' would've been nice," I muttered to myself.

"Is she here?!" I heard someone yell. I looked up and saw Silena and Piper running down the hallway towards me. "She's staying in the Sunrise, right?"

"Yeah, but trust me, you don't wanna go in there," I groaned.

"What do you mean?" asked Piper. "I was just gonna ask her to sign my September issue of _The Delphi. _You know, the one she was on the cover of?"

"C'mon, I'll tell everyone the story at lunch."

———————

We all sat around the newly-installed juice bar while I began to dish out the drama.

"She wouldn't even look up at me. When I tried to start a conversation, she barely responded. She was glued to her phone," I ranted.

"I wonder who she was texting," said Bianca. Piper and Silena giggled in response.

"I just don't know how my dad expects me to be friends with her when she won't even look at me," I sighed. "And if he doesn't get this deal, he'll blame it on me."

"How about we invite her to the send-off tonight?" suggested Beckendorf. "That way she can meet everyone and your dad will see that you're making an effort."

The send-off was what we called the first night on board, when everyone gathered on the decks as the ship finally set sail. Afterwards, Jason and I threw a 'small' party in our suite with our friends. Everyone would pull an all-nighter and celebrate the start of summer.

"Yeah, alright. But I'm not going to her room alone."

"I'll come!" Bianca, Piper, and Silena cried at once.

"How about Jason and Piper?" Everyone nodded in agreement.

———————

We stood in front of the Sunrise Suite, waiting for one of us to knock on the door. Thankfully, Piper didn't bring any of her magazines. Jason slowly reached out a fist and knocked twice.

"Who is it?" a voice inside yelled.

"Percy Jackson. I, uh, brought some-" The door swung open. To my surprise, she was only wearing sweatpants, a white tank top, and adidas slides. All of her makeup was off and her hair was thrown into a messy bun.

"Oh, it's just you. Come on in," she said flatly. She clearly had wasted no time making the place her own. Her many suitcases were partially unpacked and her vanity was overflowing with hair and makeup products. "What do you want?"

"Uh, so we do this thing every year after the ship sets sail. We all go up to the deck and wave to the people on the dock, and then we head to Jason and I's suite for a party. We were gonna see if you if you wanted come?"

"Did your dad tell you to invite me?"

"No, it was one of our friend's ideas. His name's-"

"Did your dad tell you to be friends with me so that my mom would sign off on the contract?"

"Well, I mean-"

"Figures. You can go."

"Uh, ok. Do you think you're going to come tonight or-"

She closed the door behind us before I could finish.

"OMG, she was even prettier in person!" squealed Piper.

"You do realize that she kicked us out, right?" I asked.

"She kicked _you _out. Besides, did you see all the pictures on her mirror?"

"Kind of, why?"

"They were of her and Luke Castellan! I knew they were dating!"

"Luke who?"

"He's in _Greendale_!"

"Isn't that that dumb show about a bunch of teenagers with over dramatic lives?"

"Yeah! It's so good!"

The three of us walked back up to the juice bar together, Piper grinning from ear to ear. When we finally reached the food court, everyone was waiting anxiously for us.

"Well, what did she say?" asked Clarisse.

"She was _so _pretty! And she literally had the same exact pair of shoes as-" Piper blabbed before I cut her off.

"She said she's not coming."

"She never said _that. _She just told us to leave after Percy told her that the only reason we were inviting her was because his dad told us to," Piper retailed.

"What? I never said that. She asked me if-"

"Basically, she doesn't want to come tonight," intervened Jason.

"Back to what I was saying," started Piper, "you guys won't believe what I saw! She had pictures of Luke Castellan up on her mirror!" Silena spit out her smoothie and Bianca nearly fell off her chair.

"So they are dating!" gleamed Silena. "I knew it! After that red carpet scandal at the season premiere of..."

I tuned out their conversation after that. Between my dad forcing me to be nice to her and the girls not shutting up about her, it seemed like I'd never get away from Annabeth Chase's name.


	3. 3

Jason, Nico, and I were getting ready for the send-off in my suite. I noticed Jason was obsessing over his hair in the mirror, which was pretty unusual for him.

"Woah, what's going on bro?" I asked.

"Nothing. By the way, do you know what color Piper is wearing tonight?" he asked.

"I overheard her telling Bianca that she's gonna be in pink," said Nico.

"Thanks!" Jason rushed over to his suitcase and pulled out a salmon polo shirt. He quickly switched it with the white one he was wearing.

"Ohhh, I see what's happening. You're trying to impress Piper!" I snickered.

"I am not!"

"Are you gonna ask her to the solstice tonight?" Jason's face went red.

"No. Why would you think that?"

"Because you're obviously trying to impress her, duh. C'mon bro, the solstice is in 5 days. Make your move _now, _before someone else does."

Jason looked in the mirror and took a deep breath.

"You're right. I'm gonna do it."

"That's the spirit!"

"But only if you ask someone out too."

"Huh?"

"There's no way I'm taking a date if you're not. Just ask Clarisse or Bianca or something."

"There's no way I'm taking Clarisse-"

"And there's no way I'm letting him take Bianca!" Nico cut me off.

"Alright then, I guess Percy and I will just be bachelors forever." I punched him in the shoulder.

"It's not like you would've had the balls to ask her out anyways." The three of us laughed and headed down to the staff residence floor together, where everyone else was supposed to be waiting.

———

"Looking good boys," laughed Beckendorf as we got off the elevator.

"Thanks. Do you know where everyone is?" I asked.

"There you guys are!" yelled Silena as she sprinted down the hallway towards us. "Come on! Everyone's already taken the staff elevator up! We've gotta take pictures on the deck before all the tourists come!"

She dragged us into an elevator and frantically clicked the buttons. Trying to break the awkward silence, Nico started a conversation.

"Jason and Percy made a deal for tonight."

"Ooh! What is it?" asked Silena.

"Jason will ask out Piper, but only if Percy asks out another girl."

"O-M-G that's soooo cute! So who are you going to ask out Percy?" I really wanted to punch Nico.

"No one," I replied.

"Oh come onnnn, just ask Clarisse."

"You and I both know how that would turn out."

"Then ask Bianca!"

"I'm not letting that happen," said Nico.

"What about-hmmm- I've got it!" Silena exclaimed.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked her.

"Because I know that Piper likes Jason, and they'd totally be a cute couple, duh!"

"Wait, what?" asked Jason.

"Don't tell her I told you that."

The elevator doors slid open and we all got out. Silena ran over to where all the girls were gathered, while us boys stood on the other side of the deck.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Connor asked.

"I can only imagine," Leo smiled, staring at the girls.

"Silena's trying to set up Jason and Piper, but Jason said the only way he'll ask her out is if I ask someone out," I explained.

"So? Just ask someone out then," said Frank.

"There isn't anyone to ask out."

The conversation might've turned into an argument if guests hadn't started coming on deck. My friends went into work mode, assisting visitors while my cousins and I watched from a distance. Once most people were occupied, Silena ran over to me with Bianca right behind her.

"Percy! We have the most fantabulous idea!" she squealed.

"Enlighten me," I replied sarcastically.

"We've found a solution to both of your problems. Since you need a date to the solstice-"

"I don't _need _a date, you just want me to have one."

"Whatever, and since you're dad wants you to be friends with Annabeth-"

"Nope. Not happening. No way. Never gonna happen."

"Oh come on, Percy! It'll be perfect!"

"Do you realize how desperate I'll look showing up to her door and asking her to go out with me?"

"Who says you'll have to go up to her door?" Silena motioned to the elevators, more specifically to the family coming out of them.

I spotted my dad escorting the Chases, including Annabeth, over to the VIP deck. Unfortunately, I ended up making eye contact with my dad.

"Ah, there he is! Percy, come over here!" he yelled to me.

"Go get 'em," Silena smiled. I rolled my eyes and trudged over to my dad.

"What's up?" I asked.

"We're going up to the exclusive deck, care to join us?" he responded. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was basically saying, "You're coming to the exclusive deck whether you like it or not."

"Sure," I said with a forced smile.

My dad went back to explaining how profitable the cruise line is to the Chases while I walked a few feet behind them. I looked over at Annabeth, who had once again changed her outfit. Now, she wore a white romper with light yellow jewelry that matched the color of her parents's clothes. Her hair was curly and damp, like she just got out of the shower.

The five of us sat on the deck, the adults drinking margaritas while Annabeth and I sat silent. She was tapping away at her phone, and I couldn't help but see what she was doing. She was texting someone named, "luke3," but the conversation didn't appear to be going well. I caught glimpses of phrases like "man whore" and "psycho bitch." Suddenly, Annabeth put her phone down and looked up at me. I thought she was gonna yell at me for reading her texts, but instead she asked me a question.

"Wanna go grab drinks?"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure we're both too young-"

"Please, do you really think they'll turn either of us away?" The more I thought about it, the more I realized she was right.

"Sure, why not?"

"Cool, let's go." She grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the juice bar. "Two pina coladas."

"Make one a virgin please," I said to the bartender. "This isn't your first time ordering from a bar, is it?" I joked.

"Was it obvious?" she laughed in response. "Trust me though, I'm not a drunk like the media makes me out to be. I can't even take two shots without throwing up."

"I'm guessing you learned that the hard way?"

"Oh yeah. Once I got too drunk, went to Balenciaga, and got a pair of $800 shoes. Except I forgot that you have to pay, so I got charged with shoplifting."

"I feel like I remember seeing your mugshot on one of those tabloids in line at the grocery store."

"Ahahaha, yeah. Definitely not my proudest moment. What about you? Have any crazy drunk stories?"

"Not really, I've always been too scared to drink. My mom's ex-husband before she met my dad, was a drunk. When I was little, he used to stalk my family and try to get into our house. We got a restraining order and he ended up going to jail for abusing his girlfriend, so we don't have to worry about him anymore." Why did I tell her that? I hadn't even told Jason before.

"Ah, that makes sense. I guess experiences like that can be traumatizing for some people."

We sat there in silence for a bit, sipping away at our drinks. We listened to the cheers of the crowd as the ship began to move into the sea. Everything seemed so calm and perfect, which of course meant that Leo would have to come and interrupt.

"Hola amigos!" he exclaimed, putting his arms around Annabeth and I. "How is everyone doing on this fine evening?"

"I'm sorry- who are you?" asked Annabeth.

"Chef Leo McShizzle Super Hot Bad Boy Supreme Ladies Catcher Valedizinator. But you can call me Leo."

"Right," she responded, moving his arm from around her. "Why are you here exactly?"

"I'm supposed to get Percy, we're all heading down to our annual send-off party. Care to join us?"

"Us?"

"Yeah, my friends and I. Some of them are Percy's cousins, some are some teens who are traveling with their families, and the rest are a bunch of kids our age who work here."

"You should totally come," I interrupted. "It'll be super fun."

She looked over at her parents, who were deep in a conversation with my dad.

"I guess I could spare a few minutes," she said.

"Alright!" cheered Leo. "Let's get going then!"

We took the staff elevator down to my floor. When I walked into Jason and I's suite, everyone was starting to party. Connor connected his Spotify to a speaker, while Travis and Katie provided extra food from the kitchen. I pointed everyone I knew out to Annabeth, who was surprisingly acting shy.

"You good?" I asked her.

"Yeah, totally," she said flatly.

"There you are Percy!" squealed Silena. She ran over to us and handed us red solo cups. "The drinks are over there. I'm Silena by the way." She seemed more eager to introduce herself to Annabeth then she did to talk to me.

"I'm Annabeth."

"Obviously! The rest of the girls are out on the deck, wanna join?"

"Um, no thanks, I'm good for now."

Silena looked slightly taken aback. I don't know why she was expecting Annabeth to immediately be her best friend. If there was one thing I'd learned about Annabeth by now, it was that she wasn't the crazy alcoholic that the magazines made her or to be. I mean, we were standing in the middle of a party with at least 20 people and she wouldn't leave my side. I was trying to tell if that was because she just didn't know anyone else or because she liked me. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and saw Annabeth looking up at me.

"What's up?"

"I think I'm gonna head back to my suite now, but thanks for inviting me."

"Hold on, I'll walk you back."

"You don't have to, I-"

"Relax, it's fine. Plus, the ship is almost impossible to navigate without a guide."

"Thanks," she said shyly.

"I knew that boy with the blonde hair," she said once we were in the hallway. "I don't know where from, but I know him."

"Uhh, maybe you should talk to him? That might help?"

"I guess I'll see if I spot him tomorrow. What was his name again?"

"Malcolm."

"Ugh, I know him from somewhere! I swear I do!"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."

"Yeah..."

We went into the guest elevator and I clicked the button for her floor. We stopped on the floor with the sea walk to let a few passengers on.

"Woah! What's this?" asked Annabeth, stepping out of the elevator. I followed her out as the doors closed behind us.

"This is the sea walk. The walls are completely see-through with lights built around their frames so that you can sea everything happening right outside the ship and under the sea."

"You seem to know a lot about it," she laughed.

"That's because it was my idea."

"Really?"

"My dad had this ship built for my mom as a birthday present when I was six. I was looking at the blueprints in his office and decided that they were boring, so I drew my own ship that was completely see-through. My dad thought it was neat, so he built this hallway with my idea in mind."

"Aww, that's so cute! My mom doesn't listen to my suggestions about her hotels."

"Well what have you suggested?"

"It sounds kinda boring, but I think that she should totally change up the architecture. It's way to old-fashioned. I've always imagined her hotels built with a bunch of geometric, modern designs."

"That actually sounds really cool. I mean, I don't know enough about architecture to have a valid opinion, but I think that's a really good idea."

"Thanks," she blushed. "We should probably get going now."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Follow me."

We took the elevator to her floor and stopped outside her door.

"Sorry about making you miss half of the party," she apologized.

"Nah, it's fine. There's plenty more anyways. Speaking of which, there's this big event on the ship called the Solstice Dance and it's this Thursday. Any chance you might, um, wanna go together?"

Her entire demeanor changed, and I knew it wasn't good.

"Listen, Percy, I really appreciate it. You're really nice and all, but I've got a boyfriend. I mean, we're not exactly on the best of terms right now, but it would be wrong for me to go to a dance with someone. I'm really sorry, but-"

"No it's fine. Just forget I said anything."

"Percy, it's not your fault-"

"It's fine. Listen, I've gotta get going, but I'll see you around, alright?"

"Goodnight then."

"Night."

I walked down the hall and towards the elevator, but I didn't click the button until I heard her door close completely. I felt like I'd just gotten the worst news of my life. I had no idea why I was getting so upset over this girl when I was complaining about her only a few hours before.

By the time I got back to my suite, most of the people were gone. The only ones left were Nico, Bianca, Jason, Thalia, Piper, Silena, and Beckendorf.

"There you are Perce. We thought you jumped overboard for a sec," laughed Benckendorf as I walked in the door.

"How'd it go? Did you ask her out? Did she say yes?" Silena giggled.

"Percy asked someone out?" asked Thalia. "Who?"

"No, I didn't ask anyone out."

"Well what happened when you guys left?" asked Silena.

"_Who_?" Thalia questioned again.

"Annabeth Chase," noted Silena.

"What! How come I didn't know about this? And you were planning to ask her out? Wait-"

"I'll explain everything to you later T," Silena interrupted. "Now Percy, what did you guys do?"

"Nothing! I directed her to her room and then I went to the sea walk for a few minutes. That's it!"

"Geez, alright then. I'm gonna get going. Coming Charlie?"

Beckendorf went with Silena, and was soon followed by Nico, Bianca, Thalia, and Piper. Jason and I stood in the room in awkward silence.

"Did you ask out Piper?" I asked.

"Did you ask out Annabeth?" he questioned in response.

"That's none of your business-"

"What a shame. It seems I've forgotten everything that happened between Piper and I tonight."

"C'mon bro, I just want to know if you asked her out!"

"Nope. Not until I Here what happened with you."

"You already heard!"

"I'm not dumb, Percy. I know when you're lying. Just tell me, it's not that hard."

"Fine! We walked through the sea walk together and then I asked her out and she rejected me! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Dude, you're acting strange. What's going on?"

"Nothing! Just forget this!"

I marched into the bathroom and slammed the door. It was a blessing I had an ounce of self-control, or else I might've punched a hole in the wall.

"I asked Piper out. She said yes," Jason said quietly from outside. I heard his footsteps trail away to his bed, but I still stayed in the bathroom for the rest of the night.


	4. 4

I woke up the next morning to the sound of Jason pounding on the bathroom door.

"Open up!" he yelled. "I need to get in there too!"

"Calm down," I groaned. "We still have plenty of time."

"No, we really don't! It's 11:30 already, but of course you wouldn't know that unless you got your butt out of the bath tub and looked at the clock!"

"I get it, jeez. You don't have to be so harsh." I stumbled out of the bathroom and let Jason in. "What's the plan for today?"

"Malcolm told me that everyone is working until 2, so we've got some time to hang out. Then tomorrow morning, we're docking in Atlanta. After that we're to stopping in West Palm Beach."

"Ight. So what do you wanna do while we wait for everyone?"

"I figured we could to the water slide or something. Sound good?"

"Sure."

—————

By the time I got off the water slide, the main deck was becoming insanely crowded with families all gathering for lunch. We still had an hour left until our friends got off from work.

"Wanna grab a quick bite to eat?" I asked Jason.

"Sure, where?"

"How about the buffet. My dad reopened it this year."

"Really? Sweet! Let's go."

We walked over to the elevator and waited for the doors to open. We went up to the 3rd deck, walked into the buffet, and grabbed plates.

"Should we grab extras for everyone?" asked Jason.

"Yeah. Just fill up a couple to-go boxes for them," I instructed.

"Got it."

Most of our friends had to be up extra early to go to work and skipped breakfast because of it. They still got free food, but by the time they got off for lunch, the line was at least half an hour long. We filled up our own plates and the extra boxes before heading back towards the door. Of course, my dad just had to have been there.

"Percy! Jason! Come over here!" he called. We looked at each other, sighed, and turned back around. My dad was sitting at a table in the corner, surrounded by a bunch of other nicely dressed people.

"I'm sure the two of you are familiar with my board of investors," my dad smiled. I didn't even know my dad had a board of investors, but I still smiled and nodded my head.

"Oh, of course. It's so great to finally meet you all in person. My dad's told me all about you," I gleamed. As I looked around the table, I spotted Annabeth, who definitely didn't look like she wanted to be there. She had a plastered on smile and look just like you'd expect her to, but there was a sadness in her eyes.

"Percy, right?" asked the woman sitting next to her. "I don't believe we've formally met. I'm Athena Chase, I think you were hanging out with my daughter Annabeth last night?" She extended her hand and I shook it, trying to keep eye contact. It was hard though, considering how cold her glare was.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I was just showing her around the ship and introducing her to my friends and-"

"I'm sure you were. Well, I hope you all have a fun summer."

My dad looked at me, then at the door, signaling for me to leave. I waved goodbye and walked out with Jason. We headed to the elevators in silence. I was too busy thinking about Annabeth. How was it possible that she could look so much like her mom, yet so different?

At first glance, their eyes were identical. But when you looked into them, you could see that her mother's were full of coldness. There was no happiness to be found within their storm. But Annabeth's were different, they told a story. You could see everything she was feeling, and she could do the same to you.

We stepped into the elevator and I heard Jason's phone buzz as he pulled it out of his pocket. He mentally read whatever it was and turned to me.

"Piper and Silena got off early, they're waiting at the water park for us."

"Aw c'mon, we were just there!"

"There's kids that are dying and your complaining about having to go to a water park? And not just any water park, but _your _water park."

"Well when you say it like that-"

"Did you hear about Connor?!" squealed Silena the second the elevator doors opened. Piper trailed right behind her.

"Huh? Did he get fired?" I asked. He's gotten pretty close to being thrown overboard before.

"Better! He asked out Bianca!"

"What? No way!" exclaimed Jason. "And Nico let him?"

"I got the new foreign customer service rep to persuade him. Have you guys met her yet?"

"No, what's her name?" I asked.

"Reyna. She's from Puerto Rico. Your dad hired her to be the communicator for Spanish speakers on board."

"That's nice and all, but why would Nico listen to her?" asked Jason.

"In all honesty, I have no idea. They were hanging out during the send-off yesterday though so I guess they're friends."

"Wait, does Nico like her?" I asked. Everyone burst out laughing.

"Are you _dumb_ Percy?" choked Jason.

"What? It's a fair question!"

"Gods, he is so dense. Percy, Nico doesn't like girls," explained Silena, who was holding back chuckles.

"Huh?"

"Gay, Percy. Nico is _gay_," laughed Piper.

"What? How come you guys knew and I didn't?"

"Have you _seen _him? He literally wears silk translucent socks!"

"I thought he was just European..."

"Just don't mention it to Nico, 'kay? He hasn't exactly come out of the closet yet."

"Got it. So wait, Connor and Bianca are going out now?"

"Yep. Which means your one of the last single ones in the squad."

As if on que, the elevator doors opened and the rest of our friend group came out. Everyone exchanged 'heys' and 'sups' while Leo and the Stolls grabbed the food right out of Jason's hands.

Connor and Bianca were holding hands and smiling. Travis had his arm wrapped around Katie. Silena was playing with Beckendorf's hair. Everywhere I looked, I saw couples. I walked over to Thalia, who was the only other single person.

"Looks like we're third wheeling together," I laughed. She punched me in the shoulder.

"I guess so."

We all hung out in the water park for hours, eating and laughing. It was like nothing else was happening. The entire world had been put on pause except for us. But just when things seemed perfect, then went horribly wrong.

"GUYS!" shrieked Bianca.


	5. 5

The news spread fast throughout the ship the way it always did. By dinner, the picture had been sent to everyone's phone at least three times. Once TMZ had leaked it, there was no going back. Now _everyone _knew.

I was confused at first because it looked like your average couple making out under the boardwalk. Then Bianca read the caption aloud to me in her 'Gossip Girl' voice.

_Hollywood starlet Drew Tanaka spotted on a date with co-star Luke Castellan. Luke's girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, has been MIA since last week. Could this be the end of our favorite couple?_

"What do you guys think is gonna happen to them?" Bianca asked worriedly.

"Don't worry B, it's probably not even him," assured Silena. But she didn't sound positive.

—

For dinner, my cousins and I had a pizza and movie night together since all our friends were working. It was kind of nice to get away from all the couple stuff. Of course, it only took 15 minutes for Thalia and Nico to start fighting over what movie to watch. Then over what toppings for the pizza. Then over who got the blanket.

Finally, with some negotiating on Jason's behalf, they agreed to watch Titanic. It probably wasn't the best choice, considering that we were on a boat, but no one wanted to listen to them any longer. We ordered a half plain, half pepperoni pizza(Thalia was vegetarian) and I said I'd go grab some extra blankets and pillows from the staff floor.

The ship was quiet, since all the passengers were still at dinner. I went to the elevators and clicked the SO(Staff Only) button. I stepped onto the staff floor and saw workers running around in a hurry, trying to sort everything out.

"What's up Percy?" asked a familiar voice. I looked around and saw Piper stacking pillows on a shelf.

"Uh, is there anyway I can get some pillows and blankets?" I asked.

"Sure thing." She whistled to get someone's attention and yelled, "Hey Austin! I'm gonna need 3 blankets over here!"

A short little kid ran over and handed me 3 folded blankets.

"Uhh, thanks?" I stuttered.

"His mom's the head housekeeper," laughed Piper as she tossed a few pillows into my arms. "We let him work down here to keep him occupied."

"Ahh, makes sense. Thanks."

"No problem. Oh, and Percy, could you bring this to 39B on your way back?" she asked, holding out an unopened box of tissues.

"Sure thing."

"You're the best! See ya!"

I went back to floor B, the same floor where I stayed. It held all the suites and had the best views. Lady Gaga and the president had both stayed on it before. The further down the halls you went, the fancier the rooms seemed to get.

39B, better known as the Sunrise Suite, was definitely one of the nicest. The door had a "Do Not Disturb" sign up, so I decided to knock. I heard a pair of footsteps shuffling towards the door, then the handle clicked open. In front of me stood the last person I wanted to see.

Annabeth Chase.

I immediately remembered bringing her here only a few days prior. How could I have forgotten?

She looked completely different now. Her hair was frizzy, knotty, and held together in a messy bun by a hair tie. Her skin had smudged makeup with mascara streaking down her face. She was still wearing pajamas and her room- oh boy.

The vanity mirror was smashed and it looked like something had been thrown at it. The curtains were torn down. Her clothes were thrown everywhere. Bottles of perfume and makeup palettes were smashed all over the place.

"Enjoying the show?" she grumbled as she grabbed the box of tissues out from my hand.

"No, but I mean, uh, are you alright?" I asked.

"Since when are you so concerned about my life?"

"I'm not. I just haven't seen you all day and I figured it was because of the-" I paused, trying to think of something to say. "The brunch the other day."

"You mean the picture? I'm not an idiot. Everyone's seen it."

"No, no. Not everyone. I mean, there's lots of old people out there who don't have phones. Also babies. Babies haven't seen it. They can't really see, y'know? And animals-"

"You talk too much," she interrupted me. "You should work on that."

"Sorry. Um, did you need anything else?"

"When's the next time we're docking somewhere?"

"We're supposed to be stopping in Atlanta tomorrow morning."

"Perfect. Can you find me some sunglasses and a hoodie?" she asked. She started walking back into her room, but the conversation didn't feel done yet so I followed her.

"I mean, I can try. Don't you have all of that though?"

"I snapped all of my sunglasses in half. And why would I bring a hoodie onto a cruise ship in the summer?"

"Okay, um, good point. Can I ask why you need all of this?"

"To hide from the paparazzi, duh."

"I thought you loved the paparazzi?"

"Where'd you hear that?"

"I don't know. I think I saw it on the cover of one of those magazines when I was in line at the grocery store."

"That seems like a fair way to judge someone," she said sarcastically. As we talked, I noticed that she was carelessly shoving a bunch of stuff into her suitcases.

"Well, uh-"

"The paparazzi's all fun and games until you're actually going through something and don't want it to be publicized."

"What do you not want publicized? I mean, your life's basically an open book."

"Really? An open book? You think you just know everything about me?" I could feel the tension rising.

"Well, no. But I have some friends that are like totally obsessed with you and I'm pretty sure that they know absolutely everything about you. They could probably write a biography on you if they wanted to."

"Right, because they know 'absolutely everything about me,'" she groaned.

"Are- are you okay?"

"No! I'm not!" she yelled, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't want to hear about how a bunch of teenagers think that they know everything about me just because they saw me on the cover of Cosmopolitan! You can't even realize that it's all lies!"

She collapsed on the bed in tears. I awkwardly sat next to her. I didn't want to be mean, but I would've felt weird being condoling.

"I mean, if none of it's true then why do you let them write it?"

"Because it's better that they're writing lies then writing the truth."

"What do you mean?"

"I never wrecked my mom's car because I was angry at her. She was drunk driving and crashed into the fence. It was better to publicly blame my behavior then to blame her addiction. I didn't flip the table at that fancy restaurant a couple months ago because the food was bad. It was because my dad had just told me that his girlfriend was going to be moving in with us."

"Wait, girlfriend? What about your mom? Wouldn't she be mad?"

"My parents have been separated for years. She doesn't care. Anytime they get close to getting caught in their lies, they'll have someone leak a story to the press about me as a cover-up."

"That-that's horrible. I'm really sorry. I don't know if this makes you feel any better, but I'm pretty sure my parents are separated. They've never outright told me, but I can tell. They're rarely in the same room except for social events. I'm at boarding school year round though, so I don't know what exactly they act like during the school year."

"Yeah, that sounds familiar," she said as she wiped away tears and collected herself. "Except for the boarding school part. That sounds fun."

"Did you just say boarding school sounds like fun?"

"I mean kinda. You're able to get away from everything. Just focus on school and friends and nothing else. No cameras, no parents, none of it."

"Well when you put it like that I guess it's not to bad. I miss my family a lot though. Whenever I visit home, I'm treated more like a guest then a family member."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound too fun."

"What do you even do for school anyway?"

"I went to a private school up until eighth grade. But then the headmaster saw a picture of me chugging a bottle of vodka and I got expelled. I do online schooling now, but I hate it. It's so lonely."

"Don't you have friends back home?"

"Depends on your definition of 'friends.' I have people I hang out with like Kelli and Tammi, but none of them are really friends."

"So why do you hang out with them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you hang out with them if you hate them so much?"

"I don't know. My parents like me hanging out with them because it gets me in more trouble. And more trouble means more headlines, and more headlines means more attention to my mom's hotels. If I'm not being used to cover something up for them, then I'm just a publicity stunt."

"Well at least you have the rest of the summer to stay away from it all." She looked at me uneasily.

"Look Percy, I appreciate it. I really do. But this isn't right. I shouldn't be hiding away on a cruise ship. I should be back home in Malibu."

"What about Luke?" I immediately covered my mouth. "I mean, um, sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's fine. We were never really dating anyway I guess."

"Really?"

"Well, I mean we hung out and did couple things together. But it was all for publicity."

"Then why'd you wreck your room over him if it didn't matter?"

"It's just- I don't know. He was the first person I would go to whenever I had a problem. He was always really good at giving advice, y'know? He was probably the first person I ever met who didn't just see me as a wild child."

"Listen, it's obviously not my place to make up your mind for you. But who knows what could happen this summer if you stay. After all, you're parents seem to be getting along, there's no crazy paparazzi here, and you can stay away from all the drama back home. There's no where better to escape then the ocean."

"I guess I'll think about it, but no promises."

"I'd better get going to bed, but I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya."


	6. 6

**Macolm POV**

I spent the next morning running around, trying to handle the chaos on deck. Every family was trying to get off the ship the moment that we docked in Atlanta. Most people weren't used to being on a boat for so long and were desperate to have their feet back on solid ground.

"Please don't use that exit mam!"

"Don't forget, we reboard from 6-8pm so don't be late!"

"No running please!"

After half an hour of yelling and redirecting people, I was finally able to breathe. I walked back to the elevators and headed down to the staff room to grab a snack.

"Wait a sec!" I heard someone yell. I quickly held my hand out to prevent the elevator doors from closing. I looked out and saw a blonde haired girl sprinting down the hallway.

"Thanks," she said once she stepped on and caught her breath.

"No problem."

I looked up to see if she was staff or not. Instead, I saw that she was a tourist. The one tourist I had been trying to avoid. Annabeth Chase. She seemed to realize something too. Her eyes widened the moment she saw me.

"I know you from somewhere, don't I?" she asked, sounding guilty.

"Yeah, um. It's kind of a long story. You're Annabeth Chase, right?"

"The one and only."

"I'm Malcolm Pace. Our moms were-"

"Sisters?" she finished for me.

"Yeah, they were sisters. We met once or twice when we were little I think. But then there was a family fight and we didn't really see each other after that."

"I think I remember playing with legos at your house once. And your mom gave us these really good cookies."

"Yeah. She loved making those."

Annabeth smiled and the tension started to disappear. For a moment, I forgot I was talking to one of the most infamous names in Hollywood. She seemed just like the Annie I had grown up with.

"Is she on board now? I mean I don't know if my mom would want to see her, but I would."

"Actually she, uh, died last Christmas. There was a drunk driver and an icy road..."

"I-I didn't know. I'm so sorry. I really mean it."

"Thanks. It was difficult on my dad and I at first, but you learn to adapt I guess. It just becomes your new normal after a while."

Suddenly the doors clicked open. The entire conversation had been so intense that I almost forgot that we were on an elevator.

"Where are you off to?" she asked me.

"I'm gonna try and see if there's any breakfast left. What about you?"

"I was trying to find someone, but he's probably gone into Atlanta now that I think about it."

"Well my next shift isn't until 5. Care to join some friends and I for the day?"

"I'd love to."

The two of us laughed as we walked down the halls. I forgot that we were on a cruise ship. I forgot that this was the girl I'd been dreading to see. It just felt like two cousins hanging out. Like nothing had ever changed.

**Sorry for the short chapter! I just wanted to get the Malcolm/Annabeth situation resolved before I move onto the bigger parts of the story;)**


End file.
